Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) announced that recent implementations of Oracle technologies have helped the organization achieve environmental targets, further contributing to their sustainability program. The solutions have enabled the council to redirect time and money saved, towards education resources and employees across the emirate. The council’s energy consumption levels have also been reduced by more than 90% as a result of the Oracle implementation.

Business functions now manage the housing and visa process for more than 16,000 employees across Abu Dhabi from their desktop computers. This has significantly reduced the need for travel, thereby saving money and reducing fuel consumption.

Paperless processes are a key benefit of the new implementation. For example, by introducing Oracle Self Service, HR operating costs have been reduced and paper work eliminated by more than 90%.

With a centralised ERP system running on a simplified network serving more than 16,000 employees, operating and infrastructure costs have been reduced. ADEC has created a shared data center equipped with a sophisticated fiber optic network that serves 300 locations in three regions across Abu Dhabi using the same resources, applications and services.

Mohammad Younes, the Council’s ICT Division Manager, commented: “ADEC is ethically committed to acquiring technologies that support our environmental objectives. Our health and safety section is a unit dedicated to implementing, monitoring, and enforcing environmental practices that meet international standards for a greener environment. By acquiring Oracle products we have managed to meet these standards and we hope to continue raising and refining our objectives. We balanced between the satisfaction of our technical requirements and the total cost of ownership, which made Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle Business Intelligence our preferred choice. Business Analytics have enabled us to understand the business better and make important strategic decisions.”

“With a large number of employees, the implementation has saved the council energy, time, transportation, and papers costs. Common business processes are now shared across multiple schools and departments. Collaboration and information sharing has been enabled through the use of common IT systems, and key responsibilities have now been segregated into discrete business functions. Most importantly, data is accessible by all staff and is stored and shared in standard formats. Efficiency and performance of employees in HR, Finance, Procurement and those applying for services, has increased by more than 70%, thanks to Oracle products,” added Mr. Younes.

ADEC has been an Oracle customer for a number of years, having implemented Oracle Identity Management, a system that provides access to a total user population of around 500,000, including parents, students, teachers and employees, who are able to enjoy seamless access to ADEC’s electronic services. The identity management system provides a single access sign-in code for each user, which can be used across a range of ADEC’s electronic platforms. Oracle Identity Management also automatically identifies the level of access that should be granted to each individual user, based on his or her profile and requirements (e.g. Principal, Parent, ADEC Employee).

“Oracle is committed to advancing education and preparing young people in the UAE for life and work in the 21st century,” said Shane Fernandes, Business Intelligence leader for the Oracle ECEMEA. “We are proud to work with ADEC and to contribute to the development of Abu Dhabi’s education system and help the council with its sustainability programme. We hope to continue with our efforts and ensure that the latest technologies lead to a more efficient and environmentally friendly education system.”